College can be one of the greatest joys and one of the greatest struggles in life. It brings life-long friends, stressful nights, unforgettable memories, hard professors, free things and so much more. But one thing that happens to every college student out there is lack of faith. Lack of faith in themselves, school, others and God.

When you get to college, move into your dorm and wave goodbye to your parents holding back tears (or letting them out), something in you changes. You’re finally independent. The problem with being independent is you’re more vulnerable to yourself and people around you. The first few weeks, maybe even months, go great, but then you find yourself losing faith in yourself.

You find yourself relying on your parents more, and thinking that you won’t be able to live on your own. The world around you seems to be crumbling, and there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s the moment when you have the opportunity to lean on those around you. Use the resources that school provides, whether it be a counselor, a resident assistant or your roommate. So many things are available to you, and they’re so much more helpful than you think. Keep your head up; don’t lose faith in yourself. You’re only 18, or even if you’re 20, things aren’t over. You might legally be an adult, but there’s always going to be a time to be a child and need help.

Everyone reaches a point in the semester when you wonder: "What is it really worth to go to college? I could totally make more money as a stripper, or a mermaid at an aquarium." And maybe you could, but college is more than just the classes. It’s the people around you and the connections that you make. If you make a bad grade one semester -- I know it’s shocking -- it’s not the end of the world. It’s not great, but it’s not the end. The best thing about getting a bad grade at the end of the semester is knowing that there is going to be a next semester; and maybe even a semester after that. You’re going to get more than one chance to make up for that grade, and prove yourself. Don’t lose faith in the purpose of school; it’s there for a reason, and it’s going to make you a stronger person in the long run.

Losing faith in others is the hardest part of college. You can reach a point to where you think that you’re alone. You lose faith in the people around you, the ones that have been there since move-in day. It seems like people are making new friends, replacing you, and it’s the toughest feeling that you’re going to face. But there is a positive side. You might not realize it at first, but there is.

You learn to either work out problems and grow as a person, or you grow up and make new friends. Making new friends is going to be something that you do throughout life. You never know the people that you could become friends with, they could be better than the ones that you already have. I'm not saying that you have to get rid of your current friends, but broaden your horizons, join a new club, try something new; put yourself out there.

Lacking faith in God is much more problematic than you think. The hardest part about going to college was finding a new home church. I didn’t understand why I would go to another church when I had one at home. So it causes new college students to lost their faith in God, and to stop going to church, stop participating in the faith.

You don’t have Mom or Dad nagging you on Sunday morning to make you go to church. You have to make the decision to go yourself, which can sometimes be hard after a long Saturday night full of those memories I was talking about, but I challenge you to wake up and go to that church service down the street. God is going to make a way for you, and the best part about it is He will make sure that you get through everything: when you lose faith in yourself, school and others, He will always be there. And that’s the most comforting sensation there is.

So don’t give up on yourself. Don’t lose faith. Things will get better, no matter what.